Perhaps no NFL team has a worse quarterback situation than the New York Jets, who lost 41-year-old starter Aaron Rodgers in 2024. But other teams are having terrible QB situations as well.
Here’s how Yardbarker NFL writers rate the QB’s level of concern for every AFC team. “1” indicates no concern and “5” indicates deep concern.
AFC East
Buffalo Bills (11-3) | 1 | Josh Allen threw for 430 yards and four TDs in a 48-42 win over the Lions in Week 15 and was named the favorite to win NFL MVP (-900). As of Wednesday, per DraftKings. Enough said.
Miami Dolphins (6-8) | 3 | Tua Tagovailoa threw three interceptions and averaged 4.9 yards per pass in a 20-12 loss to the Texans in Week 15. The fifth-year QB hasn’t found the form that helped him lead the NFL in passing for 4,624 yards. Although it is 2023, his average of 265.2 yards per game is third in the league. That’s an amount most teams would take, even with a QB who offers $167 million guaranteed over the next four seasons.
New England Patriots (3-11) | 4 | Unlike fellow rookie QBs Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix, Drake Maye started the year on the bench and did not play in a game until a 41-21 loss to Houston in Week 6. Since then he has only two wins but an 81.3% completion percentage. In the last two games, he’s started to show the talent that made him the third pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
New York Jets (4-10) | 5 | The Jets gave Aaron Rodgers a three-year, $112 million contract extension that expires in 2023, but team owner Woody Johnson Reports say he wanted to be benched in Week 5. With head coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas no longer with the team and Rodgers only having $14 million in dead cap money for next season, the four-time NFL MVP will be out of action since June 1. Release seems inevitable. — Bruce Ewing
AFC West
Denver Broncos (9-5) | 2 | Selecting Bo Nix with the 12th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft seemed like a success, but the Auburn/Oregon product silenced the skeptics. Through 14 starts, he is 9-5 and ranks 10th in the league in TD passes (20).
Kansas City Chiefs (13-1) | 1 | At age 29, Patrick Mahomes could join Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana and Tom Brady as the only QBs in league history to win four or more Super Bowl rings. Through 14 starts, he is 13-1 and has the ninth-most TD passes in the league (22).
Las Vegas Raiders (2-12) | 5 | The Raiders started Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell and Desmond Ridder and posted a combined passing grade of 79.2. That’s well below the league average (91.8).. Vegas should consider drafting a QB like Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward in 2025.
Los Angeles Chargers (8-6) | 2 | If Justin Herbert wins his first playoff game, I’ll feel even better about the Chargers’ QB situation. Through 14 starts under first-year Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, he is 8-6 and has 2,959 yards passing, 16 TD passes and two interceptions. — clark dalton
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens (9-5) | 2 | Lamar Jackson is having another incredible regular season with 3,580 passing yards, 743 rushing yards, 34 TD passes, and just three interceptions, and he would have won his third MVP award if not for Buffalo’s Josh Allen. The only reason Jackson isn’t a “1” on the scale is because of his disappointing playoff resume (2-4 record, 57.4% completion percentage, 6 TD passes, 6 interceptions).
Cincinnati Bengals (6-8) | 1 | There aren’t many teams in the NFL that are more confident in their QB situation than the Bengals. Joe Burrow leads the league in passing yards (3,977), TD passes (37) and passes of 40 yards or more (12) this season, and he is under contract for at least three more years.
Cleveland Browns (3-11) | 5 | We go from one of the best QB situations in the NFL to one of the worst. Deshaun Watson, who had a poor passer rating (79) before being sidelined for the season due to injury, has a cap hit of $72.9 million in 2025 and 2026, and backup Jameis Winston is too reckless with the football to tell the difference between the short term or the long term. doesn’t exist. -period answer.
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4) | 3 | A few weeks ago, that number was closer to “1,” but Russell Wilson went 29-for-48 passing (60.4%) for just 286 yards and three TD passes in two games without injured WR George Pickens in the lineup. . Wilson’s experiment has been successful so far, but the 36-year-old doesn’t have the upside to take Pittsburgh to a Super Bowl. — jack doherty
AFC South
Houston Texans (9-5) | 1 | CJ Stroud’s disappointing 2024 season is a reminder that QBs don’t always follow a linear progression. His numbers are worse across the board compared to his 2023 rookie season, including completion percentage (63.6-63.9 in ’24), yards per game (232-273.9), TD% (3.7-4.6), and interception % (2-1). ) and passer rating (89-100.8), but we would classify this as a second-year slump rather than a first-year slump. Long-term interest.
Indianapolis Colts (6-8) | 4 | Colts coach Shane Steichen made his displeasure with Anthony Richardson known earlier this season when he benched him for two games, and considering the second-year QB’s accuracy issues, it’s easy to understand why. Richardson’s completion percentage is 47%. 3rd worst season completion percentage For starting QBs with at least 10 starts since 2000 (Akili Smith, Tim Tebow).
Jacksonville Jaguars (3-11) | 3 | After handing starting QB Trevor Lawrence a five-year, $275 million contract extension this offseason, the Jaguars have frozen their QB for the foreseeable future. However, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick has not performed consistently well in his first five seasons, and he will likely be under his third head coach in five seasons in 2025.
Tennessee Titans (3-11) | 5 | In a Week 15 loss to the Bengals, HC Brian Callahan made the obvious choice of benching second-year pro Will Levis (12 TD passes, 12 interceptions) after three interceptions (including his fourth pick-six of the season). Now comes the hard part. Finding QB Tennessee could be the foundation. — Eric Smithling
